Sailboat rigging

ABSTRACT

A sailboat in which an upwardly-extending mast is mounted upon the hull for free swinging movement about an upwardly-extending axis of rotation located aft of the mast and the boom is mounted for free pivotal movement about a pivotal axis extending transverse to both the axis of rotation and the boom intermediate the ends of the boom to allow upward and downward movement of the opposite ends of the boom, thus tending to balance the tension at the leech and the luff of the sail. In a gaff-rigged sailboat, the mast is hinged near its bottom end and the gaff is hinged to the mast near the top end of the mast so that the gaff can be folded against the mast and the mast and gaff together can be folded to a fore and aft position for ready transport of the sailboat, with minimal dismantling of the rigging.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,838,655

Kratz Oct. 1, 1974 1 SAILBOAT RIGGING [76] Inventor: Kenneth E. Kratz, Sisco St. PO. 'm Bhx BOX 356, westpon 12993 Assistant ExammerStuart M. Goldstem Attorney, Agent, or FirmSamuelson & Jacob [22] Filed: July 26, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 382,701 1571 ABSTRACT Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 230,334, Feb. 29, 1972, Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl 114/39, 114/90, 114/102 [51] Int. Cl B63h 9/00 [58] Field of Search 114/39, 102, 89, 90, 91, 1 14/97, 98

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 744,590 11/1903 Moore 114/39 757,474 4/1904 Lowry 114/98 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 119,828 10/1918 Great Britain 114/91 61,889 8/1891 Germany 114/91 A sailboat in which an upwardly-extending mast is mounted upon the hull for free swinging movement about an upwardly-extending axis of rotation located aft of the mast and the boom is mounted for free pivotal movement about a pivotal axis extending transverse to both the axis of rotation and the boom intermediate the ends of the boom to allow upward and downward movement of the opposite ends of the boom, thus tending to balance the tension at the leech and the luff of the sail. In a gaff-rigged sailboat, the mast is hinged near its bottom end and the gaff is hinged to the mast near the top end of the mast so that the gaff can be folded against the mast and the mast and gaff together can be folded to a fore and aft position for ready transport of the sailboat, with minimal dismantling of the rigging.

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SAILBOAT RIGGING This is a division of application Ser. No. 230,334,

filed Feb. 29, 1972, now US. Pat. No. 3,768,426.

The present invention relates generally to sailboats and pertains, more specifically, to improvements in the rigging of sailboats.

Currently, boating is enjoying increased popularity as more people become interested in piloting their own boats. The demand for small boats, in particular, has become great and has given rise to the requirement for boats which are easier to operate and which will operatewith greater safety than before. These requirements are especially important in small sailboats which require some degree of skill for their proper operation and which are more apt to be operated by persons having little skill in the handling of such sailboats.

In my earlier US. Pat. application, Ser. No. 42,999, filed June 30, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,656,444, improved rigging is described for increasing the ease of handling sailboats. In the present application, there is described a further improvement which renders such rigging even more effective from the standpoint of both operation and construction.

It is therefore an important object of the present in vention to provide sailboats with improved rigging for the purpose of increasing the ease of handling such sailboats and enabling simple operation with increased safety.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sailboat with rigging which establishes better balance and control together with more efficientpropulsion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sailboat with rigging which tends to retain the sail at the most effective contour for propulsion by providing for the retention of a predetermined relationship between luff tension and leech tension in the sail during operation, thus enabling the sail to adhere to its design contour and reducing the tendency for the said to become distorted in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide rigging in a gaff-rigged sailboat which enables ease of transport of a gaff-rigged sailboat together with increased ease of erecting the gaff-rigged sail of such a sailboat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a gaff-rigged sailboat, rigging which enables better balance and increased ease of control, with more efficient propulsion.

The above objects, as well as still further objects and advantages, are attained by the invention which may be described briefly as providing, in a sailing boat having a hull and a sail supported by a mast extending upwardly from a bottom end to a top end and a boom extending laterally from one end adjacent the mast to an opposite end remote from the mast, first means mounting the mast upon the hull for free rotation about an axis of rotation extending upwardly and spaced laterally from the mast in the direction extending from the mast toward the remote end of the boom, and second means coupled to the boom for enabling free pivotal movement of the boom about a pivotal axis extending transverse to both the axis of rotation and the direction in which the boom extends and passing through a point located laterally intermediate the opposite ends of the boom to allow upward and downward movement of the opposite ends of the boom about the pivotal axis.

The invention will be more fully understood, while still further objects and advantages will become apparent, in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sailboat employing improved rigging constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the components illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged cross-sectional taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of another sailboat employing another embodiment of the improved rigging of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and especially to FIG. 1 thereof, a sailboat is illustrated generally at and is seen to have a hull 12 which includes a bow l4 and a stem 16. A rudder 18 is affixed to the stern in a conventional manner and includes a tiller 20 extending forward to a passenger compartment just forward of the stern.

The sail 22 of sailboat 10 is supported by a mast 24 which extends generally upwardly in a vertical plane (the plane of the paper) from a bottom end 26 to a top end 28 and a boom 30 which extends laterally between opposite ends 32 and 34. A fork 36 is integral with end 32 of the boom 30 and engages the mast 24 in such a way that the end 32 of the boom is permitted to move upwardly and downwardly in a generally longitudinal view A direction along the mast but is precluded from movement in a transverse direction perpendicular to the vertical plane of the mast and the boom.

The mast 24 itself is affixed to one end 38 of a horizontal beam 40 and the beam 40 is mounted upon the hull 12 by means of a shaft 42 journalled upon the hull in a manner similar to that disclosed in my aforesaid patent application. In this manner, the mast 24 is free to rotate or swing about the longitudinal axis of rotation R of the shaft 42. The axis of rotation R of the shaft 42 is located on the longitudinal centerline of the hull l2, lies in the same common plane with the mast 24 and the boom 30, and is preferably oriented in a vertical direction. Thus, the axis of rotation R is spaced laterally from the mast 24 in the direction extending from the mast toward the remote end 34 of the boom 30. In addition, the axis of rotation R is preferably located between the mast 24 and the center of effort 44 of the sail 22, with the center of effort 44 located relatively close to the axis of rotation. The center of effort of a sail is that point at which the whole propelling force of the wind might be applied to the sail to produce the same effect as when distributed over the entire area of the sail.

Because the sail assembly, which includes the boom 30 and the mast 24 as well as the sail 22, is free to rotate about the axis of rotation R, the wind will swing the mast into the wind and the sail will luff, whenever the sheet 46 is released, regardless of the orientation of the sail assembly. Since the center of effort is in close proximity to the centerline of the hull there is a lesser tendency for the hull to point back into the wind, with a concomitant reduction in rudder correction, a reduction in drag and an increase in efficiency. In addition, control of the sailboat is enhanced by requiring less manual force upon the sheet 46 which is connected to the remote end 34 of the boom 30.

In use, the center of gravity of the sail assembly remains to the windward side of the hull. Thus, the weight of the sail assembly will counteract the tendency of the wind to cause the boat to heel.

In order to attain even more effective propulsion, it is desirable to maintain the sail at its particular design contour in all modes of operation. Where the boom is free to move relative to the mast, distortion may be introduced and the sail may tend to depart from its designed airfoil-Iike contour. The rigging of the invention tends to eliminate such distortion by providing for the retention of the boom 30 within the common plane of the mast 24 and the boom, and by precluding relatively large displacements of the boom 30 within that common plane, all without introducing undue stresses in the sail 22. To accomplish such a result, means are provided for coupling the boom 30 to the beam 40 at a point 50 located laterally intermediate the opposite ends 32 and 34 of the boom 30, and the boom is permitted to pivot freely about a transverse pivotal axis P (see FIG. 2) passing through that point 50 and, in this instance, passing through the boom 30, so as to tend to achieve a balance between tension in the sail 22 at the leech 52 and at the luff 54 of the sail.

Thus, referring to FIGS. 2 through 4, as well as to FIG. I, the beam 40 extends beyond the shaft 42 in the aft direction to terminate at a second end 56 located laterally aft of the shaft 42. A member, shown in the form of a yoke 60, extends upwardly from the beam 40 and, as best seen in FIG. 4, includes a pair of inwardlyextending shoulders 62. The pair of shoulders 62 carries a pair of pins 64 threadedly engaged within the yoke 60 and extending along pivotal axis P transverse to both the axis of rotation R and the direction of extent of the boom 30. The shoulders 62 engage the boom to retain the boom against transverse movement relative to the beam 40, and thus confine the boom to the same common plane within which the mast, the beam and the axis of rotation R are located. The pins 64 engage complementary sockets 66 in the boom 30 such that the boom may pivot freely about the pivotal axis P to allow upward and downward movement of the opposite ends 32 and 34 of the boom about the pivotal axis. Such upward and downward movement of the opposite ends of the boom will enable the tension at the leech 52 of the sail 22 and the tension at the luff 54 of the sail to achieve a predetermined relationship, preferably a balance, determined by the location of the pivot point 50 provided by the pivotal axis P. 7

While the preferred location of the pivotal axis P is at or very near the mid-point between the opposite ends 32 and 34 of the boom 30, varying conditions, such as wind force, sailboat load, water conditions, or other conditions normally affecting the operation of a sailboat, may require slight shifts or adjustments of the location of the pivotal axis relative to the boom, along the boom, to compensate for such conditions for any given sail configuration. In addition, different sail configurations may require different locations of the pivotal axis. For the same reasons, it may become necessary to relocate the boom and/or the pivotal axis upwardly or downwardly relative to the ends of the mast.

In order to provide for the relocation of the pivotal axis P laterally along the boom 30 relative to the ends 32 and 34 of the boom,- the pins 64 may be withdrawn from the sockets 66 in the boom by rotating the pins relative to the yoke 60 until the pins 64 are entirely retracted from the boom 30 and the boom is released from the yoke 60. The yoke 60 itself is supportedby a column 68 which extends downwardly through an aperture 70 in a block 72 which is affixed to the beam 40. A rod 74 extends along the length of the block 72 and intercepts the aperture 70 to engage a complementary notch 76 in the column 68 and thus secure the column 68 within the aperture 70. The rod 74 is threaded adjacent one end thereof at 78 and engages complementary threads in the block 72 to secure the rod 74 in place. Upon disengagement of the thread of the rod 74 from the complementary thread in the block 72, the rod may be withdrawn from the block to release the column 68 and thereby permit removal of the yoke 60 from its position on the beam 40. The column 68 may then be inserted into any one of several alternate apertures 70A in the block 72 and the pins 64 may be engaged in any one pair of several alternate pairs of sockets 66A in the boom 30, corresponding to the alternate locations of the yoke 60. In this manner, the pivotal axis P is relocated relative to the boom 30. The boom itself, along with the pivotal axis may be relocated upwardly or downwardly relative to the beam 40 and the mast 24 by selectively locating the rod 74 in any one of the alternate notches 76Ain the support column 68. Thus, the yoke 60 may be selectively displaced relative to the boom and the beam to selectively relocate the pivotal axis P relative to the boom and the beam, as well as relative to the axis of rotation R, while still retaining the boom in alignment with the beam and in the common plane of the mast and the boom.

Turning now to FIG. 5, another sailboat is illustrated generally at 80 and is seen to have an arrangement similar to sailboat 10 in that a sail 82 is carried upon a hull 84 by amast 86 which extends upwardly and a boom 88 which extends laterally aft of the mast. The mast 86 is affixed adjacent one end 90 of a horizontal beam 92 carried by a shaft 94 which is journalled in the hull 84, preferably along the centerline of the hull. The axis of rotation RR of the sail assembly is located near the center of effort 96 of the sail, as described above. Again, the boom 88 is mounted upon the beam 92 for pivotal movement about a transverse pivotal axis PP established by a yoke 98 affixed to a block 99 carried by the beam 92.

Sailboat 80, however, is gaff-rigged and includes a gaff 100 affixed to the mast 86 by means of a hinge 102 at a location spaced upwardly a considerable distance from the boom. The gaff 100 is retained in the erected position, wherein the gaff 100 extends laterally in the same general direction as the boom 88, as illustrated in full lines, by a peak halyard 104 which extends from the gaff 100 to the mast 86 and then downwardly through the mast, whence it is routed to a first winch 105 mounted upon the beam 92. The mast 86 itself is affixed to the beam 92 by means of a hinge 106 disposed a relatively short distance upwardly from the beam 92 and the boom 88. A cable 108 extends between the bottom end 110 of the mast 86 and a second winch 112, also carried by the beam 92.

The sail 82 and rigging may be lowered quickly without removing the sail from the rigging by merely operillustrated in full lines in FIG. 5, to the second position, illustrated in phantom, wherein the gaff extends along the mast, and by operating the second winch 112 to extend the cable 108 to enable movement of the mast 86 from the first position illustrated in full lines in FIG. 5, to a second position, illustrated in phantom, where the mast 86 and the gaff 100 extend in a fore and aft direction, essentially parallel to the boom 88. The relatively short distance between the beam 92 and the hinge 106 is great enough to enable the boom 88 to lie between the beam 92 and the mast 86 and the distance between the boom 88 and the hinge is great enough to enable the gaff 100 to lie between the boom and the mast when the mast and the gaff are in their respective second positions. Erection of the sail and the rigging is readily accomplished by merely reversing the procedure and operating the winches 112 and 105 to retract the cable 108 and the peak halyard 104, respectively, to raise the mast and then raise the gaff to their respective first positions. In this manner, the sail and rigging may be lowered easily for transportation of the sailboat, such as by means of a trailer, and may be raised without delay when the sailboat is put to use.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention is provided by way of example only. Various details of design and construction may be modified without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a sailing boat having a hull and a sail supported by a mast extending upwardly from a bottom end to a top end and a boom extending laterally between opposite ends:

first hinge means coupling the mast with the hull such that the mast is movable between a first position wherein the mast extends upwardly and a second position wherein the mast extends laterally generally parallel to the boom;

a gaff; and

second hinge means affixing the gaff to the mast at a location spaced upwardly from the boom, when the mast is in the first position thereof, said second hinge means permitting movement of the gaff from a first position wherein the gaff extends laterally from the mast, in the same general direction as the boom, to a second position wherein the gaff extends along the mast;

the first hinge means being located upwardly relative to the boom a distance sufficient to enable the mast, the boom and the gaff to extend laterally mutually parallel to one another, with the gaff located between the mast and the boom when the mast and the gaff are in their respective second positions.

2. The invention of claim 1 including:

a peak halyard extending between the gaff and the mast; and

means for selectively extending and retracting the peak halyard to move the gaff between the first position thereof and the second position thereof and for retaining the gaff in said second position.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein:

said mast extends downwardly beyond the first hinge means such that the bottom end thereof is located below the first hinge means when the mast is in the first position thereof;

a cable is affixed to the mast at the bottom end thereof; and

means are included for selectively extending and retracting the cable to move the mast between the first position thereof and the second position thereof. 

1. In a sailing boat having a hull and a sail supported by a mast extending upwardly from a bottom end to a top end and a boom extending laterally between opposite ends: first hinge means coupling the mast with the hull such that the mast is movable between a first position wherein the mast extends upwardly and a second position wherein the mast extends laterally generally parallel to the boom; a gaff; and second hinge means affixing the gaff to the mast at a location spaced upwardly from the boom, when the mast is in the first position thereof, said second hinge means permitting movement of the gaff from a first position wherein the gaff extends laterally from the mast, in the same general direction as the boom, to a second position wherein the gaff extends along the mast; the first hinge means being located upwardly relative to the boom a distance sufficient to enable the mast, the boom and the gaff to extend laterally mutually parallel to one another, with the gaff located between the mast and the boom when the mast and the gaff are in their respective second positions.
 2. The invention of claim 1 including: a peak halyard extending between the gaff and the mast; and means for selectively extending and retracting the peak halyard to move the gaff between the first position thereof and the second position thereof and for retaining the gaff in said second position.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein: said mast extends downwardly beyond the first hinge means such that the bottom end thereof is located below the first hinge means when the mast is in the first position thereof; a cable is affixed to the mast at the bottom end thereof; and means are included for selectively extending and retracting the cable to move the mast between the first position thereof and the second position thereof. 